Biography of playwright, activist Larry Kramer in the works
Brooklyn BookBeat
The first biography of playwright and gay activist Larry Kramer will be written with the full support of the subject himself.
Bill Goldstein has been tapped to write the authorized biography by Henry Holt and Co. The book, not yet titled, will draw on interviews with Kramer; his husband David Webster; friends and foes; as well as papers in Kramer’s archives at Yale University. Goldstein will have complete editorial freedom.
Kramer, now 83, wrote “The Normal Heart” for the stage and the screenplay for the film “Women in Love.” He is best known for his public fight to secure medical treatment, acceptance and civil rights for people with AIDS. He co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and founded Act Up, which has provided a model for liberation movements, including Black Lives Matter and #MeToo.
“Larry, in private, as with many people, is often very different from what his public persona is and I think people don’t often understand his humor or how beloved he is by his friends,” Goldstein said in an interview Wednesday. “And then there are people who were his enemies — sometimes they’re the same person. So I hope to capture all of that. No one is neutral about Larry Kramer.”